No One Will Ever Get Out of This World Alive

Dave Kanicki is the Executive Editor of Farm Equipment magazine.  The Farm Equipment weekly newsletter is a must read for me, since it always has something interesting and relevant to our core business.  This week, I followed the link to Dave's blog.  The Resolutions below are good advice for everyone, even though "wise men don't need advice and fools won't heed it."   It is with Dave's permission that I publish this.   ----rich

________________________________________

I’ve never been a big believer in resolutions for the sake of making resolutions, particularly as an old year comes to an end and new year approaches. On the other hand, I came across something in 1975 that has remained in my “Food for Thought” file since then, and which I make a point of reading at least once a year.
It spoke to me then and continues to speak to me about things in life I often forget to remember, and what’s important and what’s not.
It just happens to be called “Resolutions” and was penned by the late newspaper columnist Lloyd Shearer. 
As this is my last editor’s blog for 2012, it seems it would be as good a time as any to share it with you.


Resolutions
No one will ever get out of this world alive.
Resolve therefore to maintain a sense of values.
Take care of yourself. Good health is everyone’s major source of wealth. Without it, happiness is almost impossible.
Resolve to be cheerful and helpful. People will repay you in kind.
Avoid angry, abrasive persons. They are generally vengeful.
Avoid zealots. They are generally humorless.
Resolve to listen more and talk less. No one ever learns anything by talking.
Be chary of giving advice. Wise men don’t need it and fools won’t heed it.
Resolve to be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving, and tolerant of the weak and the wrong. Sometime in life you will have been all of these.
Do not equate money with success. There are many successful moneymakers who are miserable failures as human beings. What counts most about success is how one achieves it.

Thanks for making 2012 such a great year. There’s no doubt in my mind that 2013 will be even better. 

Dave Kanicki,
Executive Editor
Farm Equipment
dkanicki@lesspub.co

Newtown Aftermath

This post is outside the arena of most of my notes, but because of the information I received from my cousin, I felt it would be of interest to regular readers of "Notes"

Yesterday (Monday) I did a blog post about some of my concerns following the Newtown shootings.  I have had some dialog and email exchanges with some of my friends and relatives as a result.  If you want to read yesterday's post, click on the OneEmptyChair link at the top of the right hand column.

I had long and insightful letter from my cousin overnight.  Her father was a prominent child psychiatrist in a major northwestern US city, her husband was a psychiatrist, her brother was a psychiatrist, and she was a psychiatric social worker.  Lots of experience there!

I am providing a few quotes from her letter.
______________________________________

"I will tell you what I think from a psychiatric perspective which John, my dad, brother and myself have all worked in the field for many years."

She then related that basically, during the 1970's, the medicine and treatment methods advanced to the point where many disturbed people could be effectively treated without being locked up in prisons or security mental institutions.  Families and the legal system could essentially force people to have treatment as a condition for not being incarcerated. 

"This was a very good thing but" (in the 1980's) "the 'advocates' got into the act and sued doctors and specifically the state to say that no one could be forced to take medication as part of their treatment or a condition for living on their own.

 

The legal procedures for anything other than a brief hold are now almost impossible"

  

So, in spite of effective treatment being available, it is often not provided to those who need it the most, because they refuse to be treated  and no one can force them to be treated.

"All of this has resulted in a system which basically doesn't protect or provide a safety net for the people afflicted with mental illness nor does it protect families and communities from those afflicted.

We need a return to common sense and personalized treatment."   With current health care practice regulations  "and what is to come, neither common sense or personalized treatment will be part of the equation.

I feel that early treatment, continuing treatment and continuity of care as well as education to families and community is what will keep people the safest but sadly I see no advocates for returning to some of the things that most helped those ill and protected society when I first entered the scene in the 1970's.

 

More rules and regulations won't help what I'm talking about. Possibly revisions/improvements will come from individuals in communities that can make changes in their local laws, fight them to the top of the court system and gradually spread the change.

 

Just increasing money to towards mental health programs will be, as Rich said, another bandaid. "

 

We need real change. 


I agree with Jean this should not be a partisan political issue.  These are changes that don't need more money.
______________________________________end of letter.

Note from Rich----

Currently, a huge wave of hysteria seems to be overcoming us.  My wife substitute taught yesterday at our local school, which was all locked except for the front door.  Parents were walking their kids into the school and even to the classroom.  In another area school, individual classroom doors were locked and windows blacked out.  In this emotion charged national atmosphere, there is no telling what “reforms” will be put in place.  I, too, hope this is not politicized. 

Read the comment below for more insight.

Let them keep their dignity

How I learned a life lesson at the expense of Mr. Jones   ---- that is what I will call him here.

Years ago, when we started our business, we were selling some agricultural chemicals as a way to generate additional revenue.  My father was an agronomist and had been involved in such businesses before.

We had a man who owed us perhaps $4000 or $5000 for materials he had purchased from us.  I volunteered to go collect since it was not too far from my home.  He had been putting us off for several months, so I was determined to demonstrate my collection abilities and "bring him to justice".

I stopped at his farm on the way home and found him and his young son in the barn, milking cows.   I marched in and without engaging in very much small talk, told Mr. Jones that I was there to collect the money he owed us.  He said he did not have it right then, so I told him I would be back the next night about the same time to collect.  Then I left.

The next night I stopped, went into the barn and  asked, probably not very politely, for the money.  He said, "It is in the house, on the table, my wife is not home.  Go inside and get it. Goodbye."

I got it and left.  Later and many times since then, I have thought about my actions, and have never been proud.  More than anything else, I robbed Mr. Jones of his dignity in front of his son. 

My friend Dave calls these "life lessons" and I have never forgotten this lesson:
Let them keep their dignity.

I have tried, though not with 100% success, to let people keep their dignity and hold their heads up, even when I wanted to break them down for some reason.  That means trying to not attack them as a person, but rather to keep things behavior focused.  It means that in spite of what wrong they may have committed in my eyes, remembering that they are people with feelings, who do not need their self worth downgraded.  It means not reprimanding people in front of others.  (This has sometimes been hard for me, because of a desire at times to make an example of someone.  Other times my own emotions just would not let me wait until a better time.)  The so-called "hot stove rule" speaks of the need for immediacy in discipline, just as a hot stove burns immediately.  How can you have immediacy and still "wait for a better time" ????

Click to learn about the Hot Stove Rule         I first learned about it in 1967 from Don Sheriff (see right hand column of this blog.


Dignity is one of those words that we all have a concept of its meaning, but yet has a variety of definitions.  In this case such terms as "self respect, self esteem, self worth, personal pride, or being worthy of respect, esteem, and honor" used in some of the on-line dictionaries. You can find a lot more such definitions.

Good customer service is where you find it

Recently I visited the Wickham Road Home Depot store in Melbourne, Florida.  It was raining, with some wind, and temperatures in the low 70's.  Not a bad day, though not exactly pleasant.  We picked out some plants in the outside garden center (during a break in the rain).

At the covered checkout counter area in the garden center there were a few employees who were running the registers, joking among themselves, answering customer questions, and waiting for the brief rain to end so they could again venture out to get their work done.  It was busy, but relaxed, and an atmosphere of fun.  One man in particular stood out.  He was joking with all the customers and fellow staff and doing even more than the other staff members in creating a fun atmosphere.

When I went to get our vehicle, my wife waited for me in the checkout area.

She reported that he suggested to one younger couple that the man go get their car while the wife waited so she could stay dry.  While waiting for her husband, the HD staff member tore open a plastic shopping bag to make her an "umbrella" and then ran their purchase out to the car so she could get in more quickly.

These staff members, and this one man in particular, created a positive shopping experience.

Better, said my wife, than any other "big box" DIY store she had visited.

We will be back the next time we are town!

INTEGRITY and CUSTOMER SERVICE

To me, these are two more pillars of success.  Five little vignettes follow.


I recently visited the office of one of our construction industry customers.  During our visit he commented "We don't give envelopes"  filled w ith cash.  "We do give some dinners and pizzas, but we do not want to build our business by giving envelopes, even though it is very common in this area."  He had previously told me that once a month his wife, a key member of their company, delivered pizza to one of the many Ready Mix plants in their large metropolitan area.  I later emailed him "That is the kind of integrity I like in the people I do business with."


In our very early days, we employed a woman who had previously worked for another small manufacturer in our area.  One day we received a double shipment of some parts from a supplier.  Brenda asked me what she should do.  I told her to call the supplier and ask them to invoice us for the second shipment, as it was something we would use over the course of the next few months, or if they preferred, we could return it.  She was pleased at myresponse and went on to tell me that she had been fired by her previous employer for calling a "double shipment vendor" instead of just keeping the parts and saying nothing.  Her boss told her "his loss should have been our gain."



I have always told our salespeople that "we always use the same discount sheet for everybody and everybody gets the same deal" so that we don't have to "remember who got what and we don't have to walk the other way when we see the person who did not get the special deal."



I know a dentist who brought his wife and two daughters into his office at 10:30 the Saturday night before Memorial Day to treat a previously unknown patient with an abscessed tooth.

Talk about customer service!!!

But over the next ten years that probably garnered him at least 20, perhaps even 30, new patients who were family members, friends, and co-workers of that one person.

It helped, of course, that he is a good dentist who believes in saving teeth through conservative treatment, while inflicting as little pain as possible during procedures.

P.S.  The patient was my wife, who was in a lot of pain and had been unsuccessful in finding anyone, including her own dentist, to help her.  Needless to say, we were immediately "converted."



One of the best compliments we ever got was from the Vice President at our (then) largest customer when he told me "You really ramrodded that one through.  We appreciate it!"

This was in response to our frantic one week re-design of some equipment we were building for them, after they discovered that their initial testing of the first design had been flawed.




We bust ours to keep you on schedule.



You will find this happy dog on some of our literature and websites.
The drawing was inspired by two of the many dogs that have been part of our family.
We hope it helps convey some of our customer service orientation.

Thanks Harold

The Harold S. Story

I have written of the tough times we went through in the early to mid-1980's.  At one point we had a negative corporate net worth, a negative personal net worth, and no place left to borrow.  We had borrowed all that we could against our house. The situation was bleak, but the prospects were actually fairly bright. (At least in my mind, that of an [almost] eternally optimistic entrepreneur.)


One morning, Harold (a part time employee who had retired from farming) came in and said  "I going to loan you $5000, I know you need it."  It certainly got us out of a hole and enabled us to stay afloat.


We were able to repay him within several months, with interest.

 My wife and I recently had the chance to do it for someone else
-----  which we did, unsolicited.

Thanks again Harold!!

This is Thanksgiving week.  This little memory of Harold and the help he gave us at a critical time is just one of the many thanks I owe people for their help, advice, sharing of knowledge, listening, and support during a 40 year run that began in December of 1972.  A few of the stories have appeared in these Notes From Rich and more will continue to appear.  But there are lots of other people, including many key (and dedicated) Richway staff members over the years, as well as vendors, customers, service providers, friends, relatives, and especially family members who deserve THANKS too.      ..... Rich

The Best Advice I Ever Got .... Thanks Mom

Many years ago my mother gave me an important key for success which has always stuck in my mind.  In fact, it may be the single most important factor in success.

To succeed, Mom said:  "You have to do what needs to done, when it needs to be done, regardless of whether you want to do it or not." 


Then she went on to illustrate it with a story about my grandmother.  My grandfather owned a hardware store in a town in Iowa.  When the Great Depression struck, starting in 1930, my grandfather sold many small hardware items to people in town on credit if they had little or no cash with which to pay.  Eventually, this began to catch up with him, because he ran short of cash to buy more inventory and even to the point of beginning to crimp cash with which to run their home.

It was a fairly small town, in which my grandfather, his brother, and father had interests in the hardware store, a feed mill, and the bank.  In other words, they were a relatively prominent family in town.  This is where my grandmother fits into the story.  (She, by the way, had a bachelors degree from the University of Iowa.)

Grandma determined that they had to start collecting some of the money from people who owed for hardware items, that my grandfather, out of generosity, had sold on credit.  Thus, every week Grandma spent one day out walking from door to door of those who owed money.  She asked for whatever they could spare, be it even so little as a nickle or a dime.  She did this every week, regardless of the weather, rain or shine, snow, cold; no matter what, it had to be done.


I would add  "recognizing, determining or knowing what needs to be done" because this is a logical first step.

 Now the whole lesson becomes:  

"Determine what needs to be done and then do what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, regardless of whether you want to do it or not."

 

To do this sometimes requires sacrifice or hard work or doing the hard job instead of the easy job.   It requires action now, not at some point in the future, when it may be more convenient.

Mom had a couple of other illustrations too, which I am choosing not to share here.



This is for success in anything, not just business. 

Dangers of being highly goal oriented

Recently I was in Cocoa Beach, where I was focused on getting a project (series of smaller projects) completed by a specific time.  One morning I got a call from a friend telling me he was in town for a short time, but had no car. He did not ask directly, but he wanted have me pick him up, just to get together for awhile.  He also wanted to come see my project.  This was a multi-day project, which had to be done by a specific time.

His call interrupted my time line and disrupted my short term planning.  I visited with him for 15 or 20 minutes and told him if he was still in town I would meet him for lunch.  I knew that I could rearrange short term project steps by then.

Looking back, I should have stopped and gone to pick him up. I could have it worked out.  I did have Charlie coming to help me, but could have rearranged what Charlie would do while I was gone.


A strong goal orientation is a necessary component of success, but can also be a detriment in life.  It is hard (for me anyway) to turn off and on.

I apologize, Al.

If you have friends, associates, or employees with a strong goal orientation, try not to blame them if they seem to sometimes snub you or seem irritated when interrupted.  It is the way they are wired.  They may be goal oriented and not appreciative of obstacles.   (Please note:   There are other reasons for not liking to be interrupted or bring curt with people which are not so noble as being goal oriented)

Alertists are always on the watch. (TM)

Many years ago it be came apparent to me that some people just seem to "see" everything.  Later I read of them referred to as "alertists."

In your organization you need alertists.  Generally the more you have, the better your organization.  I authored the following a number of years ago to help emphasize to our staff members the importance of paying attention.  As you may have noted, I have trademarked the title.

_____________________________


Alertists are always on the watch.  They almost cannot help themselves. They seem to see things around them whether they want to or not.  They are the ones who walk through a room and notice that a clock is 10 minutes fast.  Or they see the dime on the edge of the floor and stop to pick it up.  (Unless they are at the National Farm Machinery Show where those pranksters from Richway have super-glued another one to the floor, just so they can watch people try to pick it up.)  Alertists just seem to see things the rest of us often miss.

Seemingly without thinking about it, they find the spelling errors in a newspaper.  Walking along a trail, the alertist notices fresh deer tracks in the mud, or the poison ivy at the edge of the path.  At the movie, they notice immediately that an actress’s earrings change in the middle of a scene.  It is just like I said.  Alertists are always on the watch!

Sherlock Holmes, the famous fictional detective, once solved a crime because he noted “a curious thing.”  The dog did nothing during a night-time crime, which led Holmes to conclude that the dog must have known the criminal well.

On the job, alertists are the ones who just seem to sense when something is not right.  They notice that parts are a slightly different color.  Or the alertist realizes that a parts order has parts for two different markers and questions whether there may have been a part number error.  When producing parts, they recognize almost immediately when something in a process is different.  Always on the watch!  And then, they are the ones who ask the questions.

Most people are not true alertists.  But with training and practice, they can improve their skills.  With conscious thought and practice, you too can improve your skills. 

Problems look smaller the rearview mirror

I suspect many people are similar:  When initially confronting a problem they perceive it to be much larger than it may truly be.

If it is your own problem, the sooner you can put it in perspective and supply the amount of concern it truly deserves, the more effective you will be overall.

I have written a time or two mentioning the difficult times we faced in the mid 1980's.  At one point we were being pressured by our bank over a minor item.  I knew that in spite of their tone, it was not a serious issue and was something we could (should) take in stride.  It was better to remain as calm as possible and do more positive things.  Two of our key staff members were upset with me because I was not sufficiently "panic stricken" --- in their view.   A couple of weeks later, the crisis had resolved itself.  Note: during this time there were more than enough major problems with which we had to deal.

I hasten to add that there have been other times when a problem loomed large, only to later indeed look smaller after it had passed.

Later, everyone could look back and see that it was not nearly as large a problem as it had seemed to some at the time.  Time and time again, be it business, family, personal or "whatever" this is the case.  There are exceptions of course.

Problems are (almost) always smaller in the rear view mirror!!

But if a customer calls with a problem, you'd better treat it with just as much concern as he feels or you'll be considered insensitive, non-caring, or worse!

Sometimes you have to say "This is how it is"

Then your  job is still to get people to buy into it.  If you have a vision and feel strongly about it, democracy and group decision making are probably not the way to go.  Take your vision and run with it without wasting a lot of time in a process which dilutes your vision and renders something "less good."

Just tell your team that you have thought about it, developed and weighed alternatives to come up with the plan and here it is.  You have to be sure they understand that if you have overlooked something or made a serious error they can speak up .... and that you want them to speak out forcefully.  [See my post "Don't surround yourself with people who demand too little of you"]  You may (should) choose to leave details of varying degrees to be "fleshed out" before final implementation.

Sound too autocratic?  That's why you make the big bucks.  Look at a football coach; he is in charge of the game plan.  Some rely more heavily than others on their offensive and defensive coordinators to develop their plans, but you can bet the head coach puts together the basic plan.

Note: At other times group input to a decision, plan, procedure, or design is to be encouraged and has great value, but sometimes you have to say "this is it" without input.  At other times, if there is not a concensus, or the process is taking too long, it is again your job to say "THIS IS IT!"

A long and potentially boring example follows.  You may want to quit here. 

At least 15 years ago, it was apparent that we needed a new accounting software system.  We were still using a "DOS based" system (information for those who have a computer history going back before about 1990, when Windows 3 was released).  I believed strongly that we should adopt a Microsoft Access based system that could be migrated to a SQL based system.  Others believed we should buy a packaged system which, in my view, would have us caught in the clutches of the vendor we chose forever.  An Access based system would be more "open" and easily customizable.  I left no choice.  We went with Access, going "live" on July 1, 2000.  Now we have 12 years of data accumulated that anyone in the organization can probe to find answers to their questions.  And some do.  Though most in the organization choose not to create necessary queries and reports, the data is there and quite easily accessible.  Just this week I created a detailed 12 year sales history for a particular product line so we can implement a new marketing strategy for that product.  A couple others on the management team have done similar projects.

The Coach's Message

A guest post by my friend Dana Benning. 

Last night, I took my son to the local high school varsity football game.  My son is in the community youth tackle football program and was to be honored with the group during the game.  Before the game, youth players and coaches were invited to meet at the high school to receive a message from the varsity coach - Mark Hubbard.  I thought that it would probably be a "thanks for playing" speech with a "see you in high school" theme.

I was pleasantly surprised at the message that this young coach gave our players.  The local high school has a talented, but relatively young team.  They have lost more games than the community would like due to a newer offense and the turnovers that a new system can tend to generate.  There has been negative talk in the community as is the case in most communities where pride sometimes clouds reasonable expectations.

Coach Hubbard began speaking about how proud he is of his players and stressed that his varsity team is composed of good kids.  He admitted that the results are not what they wanted, but knows that the hearts and determination of his team is solid.  You could really feel the compassion that he has for his players.  He then told the kids his message for his players this week.  In life, there will always be times when things don't always go your way.  Whether it be a game, school, relationships, etc.  The key is how you handle it.  Coach Hubbard asked his players "Do you want to be like a ball or an egg?"  You see, an egg when dropped will shatter, but a dropped ball bounces back.  He stressed to these kids to not live life like an egg.  His delivery was passionate and I believe that it meant something to the team.  He went on to tell the young players to appreciate their opportunities and stressed the importance of showing appreciation to those who give time and talents to your benefit.  He finished by telling this impressionable young group to value what they have and to never forget to say the words " I love you" to those who mean the most to you.  Not a "Rah Rah" speech, but a moment to plant a seed in the hearts and minds of our next generation.

The local high school varsity team went out and won their game.  I can tell you that I don't know a single player on that team, but I was both proud of their performance and happy for them.  What I left with most is the knowledge that though the overall wins and losses are what the they will carry in the record books, the character built in their hearts and minds is what will carry them the rest of their lives.  I would be proud to have my son play for this coach someday.




Editor's Note:  As always, if you like this, please pass it on.  If not, go to the richway.com site and send an email via the contact form asking to be removed from the email reminder for rich's blog.  if you want to be on the email reminder list, follow the same procedure. 



-30- 

.

Don't Surround Yourself With People Who Demand Too Little of You

I adopted this paraphrase of a Kenny Rogers song lyric a long time ago.  Not being a country music fan, I did not hear the song often, but it reached number 44 in the Billboard "Hot 100" in 1977, so it was far from never heard.  The song is "Sweet Music Man" and the actual phrase is "And you surround yourself with people who demand so little of you"

Anyway, the point is to have good people around you because they push you to be your best and that makes the whole organization stronger.  Be sure that your team members know that you want them to push you.  You need people to challenge you when they disagree with you and to challenge you to do even better.  In return, you need to challenge them to be constantly striving to do better and to be sure that they know you appreciate blunt, but honest, input.

You need bright people who are not "afraid" of you.  Mere "yes men" or women are not what you are looking for.  Nor do you want simple contrarians.  You need a team that works together and that expects (demands) good leadership.

Two of the most valuable staff members that I have ever had were not hesitant to speak up and "call" me if they thought I was wrong.  I relied on them for honest and frank opinions, given immediately.  I, in turn, thought things out better and more clearly before presenting them to these people because I knew they would have logical and well thought out responses.  (Both were bright and able to think through the issue quickly.)  Their tenure at Richway overlapped by only a year or two, but between them they covered a 25 year period.  My heartfelt thanks to both of them!



Links Below


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7HhjQWgag8

http://www.musictory.com/music/Kenny+Rogers/Sweet+Music+Man


http://www.lyricsmania.com/sweet_music_man_lyrics_kenny_rogers.html

The Fiscal Cliff & Financial Armageddon

“Fiscal cliff” is a term sometimes used to describe the conundrum that the U.S. government will face at the end of 2012.


Basically we can have tax increases and spending cuts  or we can have smaller tax increases and fewer spending cuts and just borrow more to make up the difference, thus going even deeper into debt than we are now.  (Some call the first choice the fiscal cliff, while others say the either/or nature is the fiscal cliff.)

Or we can forge some type of compromise to keep from going over the edge of the cliff. 

The first choice increases the possibility of a recession because it will depress economic growth.  The second choice increases the likelihood of a financial crisis similar to that being experienced by some European countries, most notably Greece.  (Though others are not far behind.)


Armageddon, according to the Bible is the site of an epic battle as the end of the world approaches.  It is now often used to refer to any end of the world or end of an era event.  The 1998 movie of the same name starts with this theme.

Thus, I use the term Financial Armageddon to denote the end of the United States financial system as we know it today.  A growing number of economists are writing that we cannot sustain our economy (and perhaps our whole country) with the ever growing public debt.  Someone needs to be paid interest and someone needs to be repaid for the billions and billions (read that as trillions) of dollars we are spending as a country.

When this will catch up is open for debate, but catch up it will.  Greece, Spain and other countries are in the midst of their financial Armageddon right now.  It is not an abstract concept!! It is important that we elect those who understand the importance of not continuing to increase our public debt.

 But. and here is the kicker, because our public debt is already so great, even the first choice (which can lead to recession) could ultimately also plunge us into a Greek style financial crisis.

              Click here   for a story from the New York Times about hunger in Spain.  They are fast approaching their Financial Armageddon.  You'll find the paragraph below part way into the story:

As Spain tries desperately to meet its budget targets, it has been forced to embark on the same path as Greece, introducing one austerity measure after another, cutting jobs, salaries, pensions and benefits, even as the economy continues to shrink.

-30- 

The importance of Passion for what you do

Whatever you choose to do, if you want to do it really well, you need to have a passion about it.  The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines passion (of the sort I am talking about here) as "intense, driving, or overmastering feeling or conviction."  The urbandictionary.com says "Passion is when you put more energy into something than is required to do it."

We see the passion required for success in many places.  High performance level athletes come to mind, but a high level of success in any endeavor requires a high level of passion in almost all cases.  Star performers, be they athletes, musicians, dancers, actors, and many others practice --- a lot.  They are passionate about their craft and practice is just one way of exhibiting it.  I know an auctioneer who has won many contests at the national level, who practices his "chant" while driving.  Yet he has been auction selling for so long, you might think practice is not needed.

Click Here to see Merv Hilpipre
as he wins the 2004 International Auctioneer Championship 

[Another of Merv's passions is sled dog racing.  He is well known at the national level, which means all the way to Alaska.  It speaks of the man and his dogs!]

You will often incur roadblocks and slowdowns that are most easily overcome if you feel strongly about achieving your goals. Without passion, you are not likely to choose to do the "heavy lifting" required to achieve high success levels and you may not even see all the little things that need to be done.

Without passion, you can be good  --- but if you want to be great, you have to be passionate.  You will find that you put in the extra energy required without really thinking that it is extra.      Caution:   Just being passionate by itself does not guarantee success!

Whether you are a performer, a manager, a teacher, or a computer programmer, passion is a necessary component for success. 



Talk about Passion!!!  Here is Sam Swinton, Richway rubber molding team leader at the end of a fall from a "saddle bronc" ride during a rodeo on September 7th.  As you can see, his head appears to be buried in the dirt.  His legs are going back toward the horse and his chaps are straight up.

He is a bright and articulate guy and cannot wait to get back and ride this weekend --- after two weeks off.  If you want to follow the rodeo, follow Sam's new blog coming soon.  
 

Here is Sam's definition of Passion- "Have the fervor and desire to pursue what you love, and the willingness to pay the price."  Looks like he is paying the price above. 

Rod Stewart "singing" Passion --- Click Here

I have never been a big fan of Rod Stewart, though obviously many are.  To me, his singing is a cross between yelling and singing.



-30-

No vacation in 22 years

Two or three years ago an entrepreneur proudly told me that he hadn't taken a vacation in 22 years.  I guess that was supposed to impress me, but it certainly did not.  Entrepreneurs almost to a person put in long hours.  Sixty hours a week or more was the norm for me for a long time.

I always tried to get in some family vacation time every summer.  At the least, it was usually a week at a Minnesota lake fishing, swimming, relaxing, etc.  We tried also to do a family trip every two or three years.  We visited both coasts and points in between.  Later we started doing a run to Cocoa Beach every year or two.

For my family, it meant that I was largely "theirs" during these times.  For me, it was a chance to really back away and recharge my batteries.

We did not have cell phones, let alone smart phones, in those days.  We did not have email.  People accepted that others could not be reached at just any time.  Communication expectations were much lower, so it was easier to "escape" than now.

One of my most unique inventions came during a week in Minnesota when I sat in a chair near the lake early every morning.  From the combination of trees, birds, water, and surrounding sounds of nature the solution to a vexing problem suddenly occurred.

The central core:  your family needs you and you need some time for yourself.  Take some time off Mr. or Ms. Entrepreneur.  Your business will probably benefit too.  The rest of your team, whether it is one person or 40 people will find that they can function without you there all the time.



Check out the new link I added to The Friday Follies by Robert McCusker      "It wouldn't be Friday without The Follies"   ----- Look to the far right on this page.

Yesterday I became Democrat

It was just so easy

Now I can blame them for all the problems we have, but not have any responsibility myself. 

Now I clearly know whom the cause of all our problems is.

And the solution is easy; take more from them and give it to me and all my poor downtrodden friends.  After all they don't deserve it.  They or their ancestors did not build their obscene fortunes themselves, somebody else did it for them.  Now, all I ask is that they pay their fair share.

Now I don't have to worry about the future of our country.  I don't have to worry about how we will pay for all of this.  I know that as long as there are at least a few rich old folks around we can just tell them their fair share is higher than it was before.  Or, if in two or three generations everything falls apart, well, I won't be here and others can worry about it then.  So long as my friends get their entitlements now and I don't get asked to pay more, I am OK with what is going on. 

Nobody talks about the fact that President Obama (now he is MY president) has seen his net worth increase by about $10 million since he started running for President in 2007.  My President's tax rate is only a couple of percentage points above that Romney guys, but but nobody is talking about that, thank goodness.  Nobody is questioning MY President's wealth or how he got it.   But I can sure talk about the wealth of their Presidential candidate.  All of my new friends know that he is evil for having so much money.

Now I have two truly charismatic leaders ---- Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.  They have only one, some upstart named Paul Ryan.  They have Chris Christie too, but he hardly counts.  But my leaders are the darlings of the media.  And so is my first lady, Michelle Obama.  Bill Clinton got in a little trouble when he was President, but when you are that good, people forgive you quickly.  Besides, my new party isn't filled with a bunch of conservative old folks who don't know how to have a little fun, so it is easier for us  to forgive and forget.  (Secretly, a lot of my new friends fantasize about being Bill Clinton, but I don't think Hillary has anything to do with it.)

You know, there are just so many advantages to being a Democrat, I don't know why I did not do this long ago.  Now I don't really have to think as much.  My leaders do it for me.  They tell me they will take care of me and my friends.  And I believe them.  I don't have to ask how, I just know it will happen.  Democrats are like that.

Those Republicans, like I used to be, told me I had to think; that I had to make hard choices and that I had to remember what made our country what it is today.  With them, I had to think about things like fiscal responsibility and national debt and actually telling people that they had to work for a living.  Now all of that worry is gone.  Someone else will do it for me and we can just continue on this long and winding road down into oblivion.  

This road is so painless.  I just love it.  Blame the other guy.  Give up a few freedoms along the way.  In fact, the ditches along the road to oblivion are getting really full of freedoms we have been giving up, but not to worry.

But wait, I hear distant drumbeats.  Is that a new revolution?  It is those damned Republicans and Libertarians  and other freedom lovers.  They have not given up.  They are coming to take back our country from my new friends.  They are saying it is not too late yet.  It is getting louder and louder.  They are even asking me to come back.

I opened my eyes.  It is thundering outside and I have just come back from a bad dream.  Thank God.  (Now I can talk about God again)



Help us all, before this bad dream becomes a reality, by giving of your  time, money, yard space for signs, and talking to others.  A good friend of mine has said that this may be the last mathematical chance we have left before the "takers" outnumber the "givers against their will".

This political opinion piece is an original, direct from the mind of Rich Borglum.             
September 5, 2012  

Some may not appreciate it, but perhaps it will at least cause you to pause, stop, and think. 

Copy and forward this post if you like it.